Jordan
Wedding: 3/25/12
I was the coordinator for my sister's wedding at the Queen Mary. The ship is wonderful and has such a wonderful history. We had the wedding in the Royal Salon and Kings View Room. The ceremony was scheduled to be on the Verandah Deck but due to rain and wind on the day of the wedding, we had to move into the chapel. When all was said and done, everything was beautiful and we had a great time.
Kristine
Wedding: 7/21/11
We had our reception on the Queen Mary, and it was fantastic. They did the catering and the set up and the service was awesome. The wedding coordinator that we had been working with from the start, to finish, was always very courteous, responsive, attentive and never rude. Lea, the ship's wedding coordinator was so helpful and I recommend anyone giving her a call.
Included in the package is a night's stay on board the ship, and I loved it! So nice to just walk down the hall to your room instead of having to drive somewhere else.
The Queen Mary is definitely worth it! It's affordable and beautiful and our guests loved it.
MrsArredondoRN
Wedding: 4/9/11
Our wedding was GORGEOUS!!!! The views around Long Beach harbor were amazing!! This venue makes for PERFECT wedding photos. You can't beat the price for what you get!!! Everyone thought we spent WAY more then what we actually did. I have been to literally hundreds of weddings through working in the business & this is by far one of the nicest places to get married in Southern California. I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the Queen Mary!!!
Amanda
Wedding: 12/28/10
be sure to check the end of my review for highlights if you don't want to read the whole thing...
I cannot say enough good things about The Queen Mary Hotel. My husband and I fell in love with this ship hotel early on in our relationship and we knew that it was the only place we would want to get married. We worked completely with the wonderful Julie Arroyo from the start and she was great at meeting every question or concern we had with a positive answer. She kept going with the flow as we changed things on her and I think she knew better what we wanted than we did.
The ship has gone through a lot of overhauling this past year and we were lucky to have a fresh clean sparkly ship for our ceremony and reception. The chapel is beautiful and if you're looking for a vintage feel to your wedding, this is the place. There's a great art deco look going on since it is a ship that set sail in 1936.
We booked a small banquet room for our reception and had an hour cocktail and app. bar which was ideal for our guests to enjoy while we took off for couples pictures.
The food was absolutely amazing and even more amazing was the wait staff. I never had to even ask for anything, it was always there before I even knew I needed it.
And of course we stayed on the ship the night of the wedding, enjoying a gorgeous state room with a fabulous in room breakfast the next morning.
so here's what you might want to know...
--Quality of service: excellent. The entire staff actually go out of their way to ensure you're not only satisfied, but incredibly happy. No request is too small or too much.
--Responsiveness: We only worked with Julie Arroyo and she was always very attentive. She never let more than a few hours go by between my contacting her and her responding. And considering her workload, I'm amazed at how quickly she responded. Always felt like we were her only clients.
--Professionalism: Should go without saying after reading the above... absolutely 100% Profesional.
--Value for cost: Depending on what you book on the ship, there's a price range for everyone. It's a gorgeous and one of a kind venue and you are waited on hand and foot... so you definitely get what you pay for, that being said, it's a great value. We had a small number of guests, but opted for the most expensive dinner plate option per person and our entire ceremony and reception cost us well under $2000.
--Flexibility: We changed our mind about timing and meals and venue for the dinner at least 10 times and there was never a mention of it being an issue from Julie when we called of visited with new changes. Everything was just always taken care of.
Basically, if you want a wedding venue that is unique, luxurious and vintage... this is your place.
PHQ144
Wedding: 11/20/10
We booked the Queen Mary for our November 2010 wedding ceremony and reception. We had an outside ceremony with a beautiful of view of downtown Long Beach in the background. Our reception was held in the Royal Salon. The venue is absolutly breathtaking. Everything was perfect and exactly how I wanted. Their service during the reception was outstanding. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful venue and day! Julie was our coordinator. She was helpful throughout the whole planning process. I would totally recommend the Queen Mary if you are looking for an elegant and beautiful venue site! Plus, many of our guests were really excited to attend the wedding at such an unique location!
Carson
Wedding: 8/14/10
I worked with 2 coordinators on the Queen Mary for over 11 months planning our wedding. Carrie was our first coordinator, and then Julie took over when Carrie began her own business. Both ladies were extremely helpful and always responsive to emails/phone calls. The room was beautiful (The Queen's Salon) and our reception ended up being the highlight of the night. It is on the pricey side - but hey, you'll have a well talked about reception for years to come and the food is great. The bar selections limited to three types (ask the coordinators about them). The coordinators are GREAT at working with vendors to ensure all the little extras come together for your big day. We also had a block of rooms on the boat, which is run mostly through the hotel staff (and they're a little harder to deal with) - BE SURE to get every price guarantee from the hotel in WRITING! Their prices change constantly and you want to ensure your guests pay what you're told the price will be. All in all, we would use the Queen Mary again and again and it will always be a special place for us.
mtrayn01
Wedding: 8/14/10
We had a wonderful time having our wedding ceremony and reception at the Queen Mary. There were a few things that went array the day of: the floors were so dirty, my dress was visibility soiled by the time of the reception (since we did pictures before). The food was slightly different from what we chose, and our coffee bar never appeared (although we spent $5.95 per person for it!). However, our guests had a great time, and everybody complimented us on a unique location.
Barkbomb
Wedding: 7/9/10
Great experience with the Queen Mary. Julie Arroyo was our wedding coordinator and worked with us all year to help us celebrate a fantastic wedding. Julie was very professional and dealt with us fairly and honestly, and did a good job of making our experience wonderful.
I thought it was a little on the expensive end, but it is Southern California, after all. It was nice that there was not a room reservation fee for our reception room (the Verandah Grill -- absolutely gorgeous. No decorations needed -- it is ready made for a beautiful reception and dance). Instead of the fee, they simply have a per person cost based on your meal choice, and then you have to reach the food minimum price. Our guests had validated parking (which I heard is not included anymore) and had a lot of fun looking around the ship before the wedding.
It may be a little nitpicky, but I wish they were more flexible with their bar options. They only had three beers available (Corona, Miller and Heineken, I believe). I really wish I could have brought in a more diverse (and better) lineup. The house wines were actually really good, though.
All in all, a great experience. The food was tasty and the Queen Mary really makes it quite easy for you -- you simply need to check the options you want and indicate preferences to your planner. We brought in the DJ, our photographer, the cake and centerpieces/favors. The Queen Mary tok care of the rest and it was splendid.
Brenda
Wedding: 6/26/10
Our reception was fabulous! Our guest loved the food. The staff are very professional and make you feel special. It was a plus for our guest to be able to take a break out in the deck and take a walk around the ship. We were very pleased and very happy that our special day will be an unforgettable day!
deltaxmeg
Wedding: 4/9/10
We created a room block with a cost of $149. Feb 26 the cost was lowered to $135. I have an email that day that shows my aunt sue was the one that found the cost online as $145 so they lowered our rate to $135. Check in day it was still $149. they told me they would fix it. Day of my wedding i called my block room contact and she asked me to forward her the email. I did. She said she would fix it. I checked out, the rate was still $149...again they said they would fix it. My card was charged for the $149. No one ever fixed it with all the people that said they would. Not very satisfied with this! Especially since i posted the $135 on my wedding website and all hotel guests expected that rate!
amyandmindy
Wedding: 4/21/05
We loved our ceremony in the chapel aboard the Queen Mary. The ladies that help with wedding planning were fantastic and so sweet. They set us up with a whole package deal including a discount on hotel rates, flowers, reception, and a really awesome cake.